The Seagull
by Elf Eye
Summary: Will Turner puts in a second appearance in my Parallel Quest universe, encountering Gimli and Legolas several years after the siege of Minas Tirith.


**In **_**Parallel Quest**_**, Will Turner puts in a brief crossover appearance. In this story he reappears.**

**My stories sometimes track Tolkien's version of Middle-earth, sometimes Jackson's.**

**I am delighted to receive any and all responses, whether reviewers are logged in or not. If you do happen to be logged in, I will use the reply feature to get back to you unless you have disabled the private messaging feature. (****Please notice that the fanfiction site has changed its system so that responses to reviews go out via the private messaging feature. That is why the people who have disabled that feature have not heard back from me****.)**

**This story may incorporate incidents and/or quotations from the book and/or movie versions of **_**The Hobbit **_**and**_** The Lord of the Rings**_**. The chapter may also draw upon posthumous publications edited by Christopher Tolkien, such as **_**The Silmarillion**_**. **

**Beta Reader: Dragonfly is the beta reader for **_**Parallel Quest**_**, but shorter pieces are posted without a reader. If you catch any errors, please let me know.**

Legolas scowled at a puppy as he rubbed his ankle. It seemed that every time he visited King Elessar, one of the household bitches had given birth, and invariably one of the whelps fastened itself to his ankle. "The only thing worse," he muttered to himself, "would be having one of the adults attaching itself to my leg." He was of course thinking of the mortification attendant upon serving as a humping post for a dog. "Legolas," the King called cheerfully as he entered the room with Arwen at his side. "I see that you have made the acquaintance of Hwest."

"Hwest?" replied Legolas. "Why have you named this puppy 'Breeze'?"

"He was the runt of the litter," Aragorn answered, "so tiny that Arwen said he might be wafted away upon a breeze."

"His teeth are large enough," the Elf pointed out, grimacing as Hwest began to worry his ankle anew.

"Daro, Hwest," scolded Arwen. The puppy abandoned Legolas's ankle and scampered to the Queen, who scooped him up and carried him to a window seat, where she settled the puppy in her lap and began to stroke him. Soon the tiny dog was napping peacefully.

"Arwen can tame the wildest of creatures," Aragorn boasted.

"Even _you_, Estel," Legolas teased.

"Of course," Aragorn agreed, unabashed. "It is the way of the Eldar. _You_ have tamed Gimli. By the by, where _is_ the lock-bearer?"

"Lock-bearer, yes. He has stopped in the Street of the Goldsmiths to mend the chain upon which he has fastened the reliquary of those three precious strands of hair."

Aragorn laughed. "I had thought I should never desire to hear again the word 'precious', but I find I like it well enough when it is used to describe the tresses of the Lady Galadriel."

"It is good to reclaim that word," agreed Legolas, "else it should be said that Sauron stole our very language."

"In which case it could _not_ be said," Arwen called from her window seat, "for you would be left speechless."

Legolas was left speechless indeed as he considered how to answer this sally, but before he recovered his tongue Gimli had bustled into the room. The Dwarf's loquaciousness could have made speech by anyone else in the room unnecessary.

"Legolas! Aragorn! Do you remember that blacksmith's apprentice, the one what was keen to learn swordsmanship and fight pirates?"

"I remember such a lad," Legolas replied. "He had a Breeland name did he not, for his father had dwelled in that place for a time?"

"Yes," said Aragorn. "Will Turner he is called, and he is a descendant of the Dúnedain, although one would not have guessed this from his name, which, as you say, was a Breeland one. But Gimli, why do you speak of him?"

"I met him just now in the Street of Goldsmiths, his son by his side, a lively lad who looks just like him, curly hair and brown eyes and all. 'I have left my heart in the keeping of this lad's mother', he said to me, 'and the lad, too. It seems to me as if it has been ten years since I last laid eyes on either of them'."

"The fleets can be absent for months," laughed Aragorn, "but Master Turner must be very much in love if it seems to him that he has been gone for an entire decade."

"It's Captain Turner now, and, yes, I do believe he is very much in love. He bore a tiny casket in his hand, and he opened it to show me the heart pendant that he had commissioned for his wife. 'So you see', he said, 'my wife will indeed have my heart in her keeping'."

Aragorn laughed again. "I like this Captain Turner very well indeed. Does his son follow him to sea?"

"I reckon he will if he has inherited his father's character as well as his name. Billy he is called, and as I have said, he looks just like his father."

"Billy," repeated Aragorn. "His father Will, his grandfather Bill. The Turners seem to suffer from a dearth of names, for is not each of these names nothing but 'William' in another guise?"

"_You_ are one to talk!" teased Arwen. "Aragorn son of Arathorn son of Arador son of—"

Aragorn held up his hands in defeat. "Peace, Arwen! I yield!"

"Then I am the victor and may now claim a prize," Arwen smiled.

"Of course," Aragorn smiled back. "You may claim whatever you desire. Like Mistress Turner, you already have my heart in your keeping, and as you have my heart all else must follow. What would you, melethril-nín?"

"Do something for the lad. If it is his wish, see him outfitted and placed on a respectable ship, one sound from keel to mast and crewed by Men of good character. Or if he would rather be a blacksmith, like his grandfather, see that he is indentured to a master who is as honest and humane as he is skilled."

"I will," Aragorn promised. "On the morrow I will have Faramir send word to Captain Turner. He and young Master Turner shall be summoned to my presence chamber, and whatsoever craft the lad wishes to pursue, he shall be given the means to do so."

The next day Legolas and Gimli were in the antechamber when Captain Turner and his son arrived in response to the summons from Faramir. Gimli bustled over to the Captain and engaged him in an animated conversation on the finer points of the blacksmith's trade, for it seemed that Will Turner had continued that craft whilst on board, repairing the fittings on whatsoever ship he served upon. Legolas, meanwhile, studied the younger Turner, who looked a little nervous at this august setting that was so different from his humble dwelling. For several minutes he stood rubbing a foot against his calf. Then, timidly, he reached out to touch a wall sconce. Like his father before him, he was interested in all things crafted out of metal. Ai! As the lad handled the sconce, it came loose from its base. Appalled, the boy stood holding the device. His father caught sight of him and laughed. "Why, Billy, would you follow me in all things? When I was a youth, I was sent to deliver a sword to a governor, and like you I could not forebear examining a wall sconce, which likewise broke off in my hand."

"What did you do, Father?"

The Captain chuckled. He winked conspiratorially and spoke in a stage whisper. "I hid it in a large vase that stood nearby."

His son looked about eagerly, and Captain Turner laughed anew. "Let me see the sconce," he said, holding out his hand. "Ah, see, it was held into its base by a pin. Look about on the floor and see where it has fallen."

Legolas joined the lad in searching for the pin, and it was he that found it. Gratefully the boy accepted the small piece of metal from the Elf, and as his father looked on approvingly, he soon had the sconce securely refastened to its base.

At that moment, the door to Aragorn's presence chamber opened and members of a trade delegation issued forth. After they had departed, Faramir appeared in the door and beckoned that Legolas, Gimli, and the Turners should enter the presence chamber, where Aragorn bade them all be seated.

"Captain Turner," Aragorn began, "after the siege of Minas Tirith I took you into my service, and I understand that you have repaid my trust, rising from ship's boy to captain. I have in mind to take your son into my service as well. I am told that he resembles you, a fact that predisposes me to favor him. Does he perform well the tasks he is given?"

"He is very good at taking things apart and putting them together again," Legolas deadpanned. "Which," he added hastily as Aragorn raised his eyebrows, "is a skill most needful for a blacksmith."

Aragorn turned to the lad. "Is it a blacksmith you want to be? About the palace there are many metal objects that needs must be either forged or repaired. You would never want for employment if you were apprenticed to my blacksmith."

The lad hesitated. "I am sure I should very much like to be a blacksmith," he said slowly, then stopped.

"Go on," Aragorn encouraged him.

"My father went to sea. I should very much like to do that as well."

"The lad can do both," Gimli interrupted. "Aragorn, every ship in your fleet is equipped with a forge, for if a fitting breaks when the craft is far from port, it must be repaired on board. Set him to work in one of these floating forges."

"Would this suit you?" Aragorn said to the boy.

"Oh, yes," exclaimed Billy Turner. "That would suit me very well indeed!"

"Faramir," Aragorn turned to his friend and steward, "see that the indentures are drawn up and that a place is found for Master Turner on one of my ships. Make certain that it is one of the larger ones, for on the smaller ships the forges are rudimentary. Young Turner must serve his apprenticeship in a forge fully-equipped so that he may learn well his trade."

With that the audience was at an end, for already another trade delegation waited without. As they left the audience chamber, Captain Turner stopped Legolas and Gimli and thanked them both. "You have been kind to me, and now you are kind to my son," he said fervently. "I hope that someday it will be in my power to repay your kindness."

"You repay us now with your words," Legolas said.

"Ne'ertheless," Will Turner replied, "I shall always be looking for an opportunity to succor you as you have succored me and mine."

Suddenly it occurred to Legolas that there was something he could ask of the Captain. "I do not want to inconvenience you," the Elf said, "for now you are in port you must be anxious to spend as much time as possible with your wife and son. I wonder, though, whether you might show me how to handle a boat—not a great ship, mind you! Nothing larger than one of the smaller pinnaces, I think."

"I should be glad to! And it wouldn't take me away from my wife and son, neither, for we had already planned an excursion upon the Anduin for the morrow. You shall join us, and my son and I will show you how to manage the rudder and trim the sheets. You are welcome as well," the Man added, turning to Gimli.

The Dwarf hastily turned down the offer, looking a little ill at the mere thought of going aboard a boat. He had hated the elven boats in which they had journeyed to the Falls of Rauros, and he hated only a little less the ships that they had seized from the pirates at Pelargir.

"That hinge there," he made his excuse, "I notice it creaks. Not fitting that a hinge should creak in the palace of a king. I'll just stick around tomorrow and see that it gets fixed."

Captain Turner nodded gravely. "You are a most diligent blacksmith," he said. "I salute you."

The Captain bowed, and then he took his son by the hand and went forth.

The next day Legolas spent a pleasant day on a borrowed pinnace in company with the Turners. The Elf was a fast learner, and by late evening he was able to guide the small craft toward the same landing onto which he and Aragorn and Gimli had leaped when they came to raise the siege of Minas Tirith. Billy Turner listened raptly as the Elf described that day. "We crouched below the gunnels, and the Orcs and the Haradrim did not suspect that their doom sailed toward them," Legolas told the boy. The Elf paused in his tale at the sound of a keening bird.

"Seagull," said Captain Turner. "It is not unusual for them to fly this far upriver."

"I know," Legolas said quietly.

"My ship's pinnace is called 'The Seagull'," the Captain continued cheerfully. "Mind that piling! Here, I had better steer us the last several yards."

Subdued, Legolas yielded the tiller to the Captain.

A short while later, the pinnace moored, the company stood upon the quay and exchanged farewells. Legolas had always liked Will Turner, and he had found his family to be equally good company. Billy Turner was a lively and intelligent lad, respectful but not subservient. Elizabeth Turner was witty, with a sporting manner. She bantered with her husband, and her movements were decisive and purposeful. Legolas saw that she was well suited to be a Captain's wife, capable of running a household and raising a son during the long months when her husband must be absent.

"I am glad I could teach you a bit of seacraft, Legolas," Will Turner said (they were on a first-name basis now). "I say again, though, that I shall always be looking for an opportunity to succor you as you have succored me and mine."

The Captain's kind words restored the Elf's spirit. "I shall not grudge you the opportunity," he answered cheerfully. Stay well, Will, you and yours."

"Go well," the family chorused as Legolas strode away in search of his friend Gimli.

_Several weeks had gone by since the last rain. Their water barrel was empty. The last traces of moisture they had sopped up with rags and wrung into their mouths, savoring each drop as if it were mead. Now it was two days since they had had any water. Gimli drowsed in the bottom of the pinnace, wrapped in the cloak that Galadriel had given him so long ago. In his hand he clutched the locket that contained the three hairs from her head that he had begged of the Lady of Lórien, the only treasure that the Dwarf had ever desired from that moment onward. His lips were chapped, his skin reddened and peeling, and from time to time he moaned in his sleep. Legolas took his own cloak and rigged a bit of shade for his friend. 'He will die at sea', the Elf thought unhappily. 'He will die at sea instead of in the land that he loved so dearly. He would have wanted to be laid at rest in the earth. Now I must shroud him in a sail, and his tomb will be the restless ocean'._

_Legolas looked up at the sky. He squinted at a grayness on the horizon. Was that a cloud? He allowed himself to hope as the darkness drew near. But it was nothing but a mist he thought despairingly as vapor began to surround the boat. 'A little moisture will condense upon the sails', he thought to himself, 'but it will not be enough'. Nevertheless, the Elf mechanically moved to arrange the sheets so that whatever moisture settled upon them would be funneled into the water barrel._

_As Legolas worked, noises began to fill his ears that reminded him of the sounds made by ships as they docked at the quay in Minas Tirith. Chains rattled, boards creaked, ropes ran through pulleys, sails flapped 'These noises do not come from our little boat', he said to himself. 'I am hearing things. Soon I shall be seeing things as well'. _

_As if in confirmation, a large ship suddenly appeared out of the mist. Voices shouted commands, and Legolas heard the sound of a sea anchor being let out. A pinnace was lowered from the deck, and as it descended toward the water, Legolas could make out the words 'The Seagull' painted upon its stern._

_Once the pinnace cast off from the ship, a lone Man steered it toward Legolas and Gimli's tiny boat. As he came alongside, Legolas saw with astonishment that it was Will Turner._

"_Now I know I am hallucinating," the Elf said aloud. "You were lost to the sea long ago, your ship foundering in a great storm that claimed many unfortunate sailors."_

"_Lost to the sea? Nay, I was claimed by the sea. It is not the same thing, Legolas. But tell me, my friend, how does my family fare?"_

"_Elizabeth lived long after your ship foundered and took great pleasure in your children. She lived to see the birth of not only your grandson but your great-grandson."_

"_What was he named?" Will asked eagerly._

_Legolas laughed. "Are you truly in doubt?" he teased. "He is named William. His nickname was Willie, but when he grew old enough to go to sea he insisted upon being called Will—influenced, no doubt, by tales of his great-grandfather!" _

"_I am glad," Will said fervently. "But tell me, Legolas, how fares it with you and Gimli?"_

_Legolas gestured around their battered boat. "As you see. I thought I could bring Gimli safely to Valinor, but the sea has defeated us. We could catch fish enough, but without water we cannot live. I am to blame for bringing Gimli to a bitter end."_

"_You take too much upon yourself," Will replied gently. "You look tired. Sleep a bit."_

"_I cannot. I must look after the boat."_

"_I shall look after your vessel. Remember that I promised that I would seek for an opportunity to succor you and Gimli? Let me fulfill my pledge."_

"_I don't want to sleep," Legolas yawned. "You succor me by your presence—apparition though you be! I am afraid that when I wake up you shall have vanished."_

"_I shall never leave you," Will promised, his image beginning to shimmer before Legolas's eyes. "A Will Turner shall always roam the seas, and he will ever be a friend to you and yours. Sleep now, and trust that all will be well."_

_It was night when Legolas awoke, but the mist was gone and the Star of Eärendil the Mariner shone down upon their tiny pinnace. Legolas felt inexplicably cheerful as he gazed up at the star, which seemed to give off a light out of keeping with its small size. The Elf stretched his arms and hummed a little. Suddenly he realized that his humming was not the only noise. He heard a sloshing sound, and, oddly, it seemed to be coming from the water barrel. He got to his feet, surprised at how steady his limbs felt, and made his way to the cask. To his amazement, he saw that it was full very nearly to the brim. 'It must have rained while I slept', he thought excitedly. He seized the mug, filled it with water, and hastened to Gimli._

"_Wake up, Gimli," he cried. "Wake up!"_

"_Whatever happened to dying in peace?" grumbled the Dwarf._

"_I won't let you die in peace," Legolas retorted, "because I won't let you die at all. Water, Gimli. Here is water!"_

_Gimli cracked one eye open enough to glower at the Elf. "Yes, here is water. Water, water every where, nor a drop to drink!"_

"_Not salt water, Gimli. It is fresh water. It rained whilst we slept, and the water barrel is full." _

_Gimli opened the other eye and struggled to sit up. Legolas put a hand behind the Dwarf's back to support him and held the mug to his lips. Gimli could take only little sips at first, but with the passing of every minute he seemed to regain his vigor. Soon he was sitting up straight and holding the mug on his own. "Rainwater you say," he exclaimed. "Legolas, this beverage is as sweet and refreshing as wine! Here," he said, thrusting the mug at the Elf. "You must have some as well."_

_Legolas took the mug and again dipped it into the barrel. "You are right," he declared after his first sip. "This rainwater is indeed as sweet and refreshing as wine."_

_The Dwarf, lively now, looked about him. "We must have been sleeping a long time. The water barrel is full, you say, and it would take a lot of rain to fill it. Yet everything else is quite dry. It would take a long time for everything to dry after a rain great enough to fill that barrel."_

_Legolas lowered the mug and stared about him. Gimli was right. There was no sign that rain had touched the deck, and their clothing was quite dry. Yet there was the water barrel, filled very nearly to the brim._

_Legolas looked over the gunnels in every direction. In one direction the sky was slightly darker, and faintly came the sound of a seagull. "A Will Turner shall always roam the seas, and he will ever be a friend to you and yours," the Elf murmured._

"_What's that you say, Legolas?"_

_Legolas shook his head and smiled. "Look, Gimli. Above shines the Star of Eärendil the Mariner. Some say that that star is a good omen for those who sail upon the sea. They say that when it appears Eärendil is looking out for them from his celestial ship."_

"_Well," grunted Gimli, "I suppose it won't do no harm to believe that something is watching over us. Don't make no sense—but then hope never does."_

_And so the two friends sailed on into the west, and as they journeyed, Legolas ever listened for the sound of the seagull, which for him was no longer the sound of doom but of deliverance. My friends, may we all be so blessed._


End file.
